Wikpedia Creative Commons by All Pro Reels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis apologized for using an anti-Asian slur in a tweet Sunday night, saying that he didn’t understand that the term had a “darker” meaning.
“Gotta stop letting g—s in Miami,” Davis said in a tweet.
Davis later deleted the tweet which has been screen grabbed by others.
Davis issued a statement saying that he thought that the word meant “lame” and intended to direct the word towards a producer claiming he “ran Miami.” Accompanying the statement was a screenshot from Urban Dictionary which defined the word as “A term commonaly used in South Florida to describe a person who is Lame, reported The Hill.
The word is associated with anti-Asian sentiment, specifically towards Vietnamese and Korean individuals, and was defined as such in higher entries on Urban Dictionary.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers has since released a statement saying that they are looking for ways for Davis to learn from this situation, according to Pro Football Talk.
“I would never offend a group of people,” Davis said on Twitter. “You reporters can look for another story to blow up… With that being said I’ll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring.”
“Carlton has been an active member of our Social Justice Player Board over the past two seasons and has played a key role in our organizational support for finding peaceful and productive ways to bring attention to societal issues that have plagued our country for many years,” General Manager Jason Licht said in the statement. “We look forward to working with Carlton to find appropriate ways to learn from this experience and continue our joint efforts to put an end to all forms of social and racial injustices.”
The Sports Task Force of the Asian American Journalists Association responded to Davis’ saying that they are “disappointed by his sentiment, especially at a time when Asians in the United States are experiencing a sharp increase in anti-Asian hate which has resulted in harassment and attacks.”
Asian Americans have faced a spike in hate crimes since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic which originated in Wuhan, China.
A reporting center known as “Stop AAPI Hate” has received nearly 3,800 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate since March 2020, the month where lockdowns started occurring.
As of April 5, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not decided what will follow with Davis’ actions.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or making a financial contribution to support us.
